Refrigerator door opener



Am@ 39 Q. HFFMAN REFRIGERATOR Do'oR OPENER Filed sept. 5, 1944 INVENTOR, 'Umm/Hw Patented Aug. 13, 1946 UNTED STATS OFFICE 1 claim. l

My present invention, in its broad aspect, has to do with means for creating a powerful operating leverage to open refrigerator doors of the type which are ordinarily so heavy as to require great strength and force to open. Such doors are in many instances equipped with what are known as Pressure type door closers. My invention, more particularly, contemplates the use of a pivoted lever arm fulcrumed to exert a powerful opening leverage with a minimum of eifort, and it may be mounted either on the inside or on the outside of a refrigerator.

Other important objects and advantages of my invention are (l) to provide a simple lever with a roller contact to exert the required power, (2) to provide a device which may be used to either push a door` open from the inside, or exert an opening leverage on the doo-r from the outside, and (3) to provide a simple, efficient, practical and inexpensive device which may be applied to conventional types of refrigerators. Other and equally important objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description and drawing, but it is to be understood that the broad scope of my invention should only be determined with reference to the appended claims.

In the drawing wherein I have illustrated a preferred form of my invention:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator door on which my device is mounted, and which shows its operation;

Figure 2 is a detailed plan view of the lever arm, roller, and fulcrum, and

Figure 3 is a detailed edge view of the lever arm, roller and fulcrum. Y

In the drawing wherein like characters of reference are used to designate like or similar parts throughout the several views:

The numeral I designates a refrigerator door of well known type, and 2 the frame, to which the door is attached by hinges 3, and provided with closure ttings 4, and a handle 5. All of these parts are conventional and form no part of my present invention.

Since many refrigerator doors are so heavy as to make handling very difficult, I have provided a T-shaped plate 6 mounted on the door flush with the edge, and which is formed with an enlargement 'I tapped with a thread 8 to receive a threaded pivot bolt 9 on which is mounted a lever arm IU. The lever arm I0 has a cut-away portion II at its end and is tapped to receive a threaded pivot bolt I2 on which is mounted a roller I3. The fulcrum of the lever arm (the pivot bolt 9) is relaL tively close to the roller, and the lever arm itselfv is provided with a relatively long handle I4 as shown in Figure 1. The handle portion I4 of the lever arm may be of simple tubular metal construction and has a hand grip I5, and may be slightly curved, for convenience as at IS. A plate I1 is mounted on the door frame in the path of the roller I3 when the arm is operated to exert opening leverage between the door and frame to handily and easily open the door irrespective its size or weight, by mounting my lever arm on the inside Wall of a refrigerator or refrigerator door frame and mounting the plate I1 on the inside of the door opening pressure of the lever on the door may be provided.

From the foregoing, it is believed that the operation and advantages of my invention will be apparent, but manifetsly, changes in form, size, shape, proportion, arrangement and construction of parts are permissible provided same fall within the purview of what is claimed.

I claim:

A door opening device, comprising a door frame and door, a plate mounted on the outer face of the door, a boss carried by the outer face of the plate and extending parallel with the face of the door beyond the edge thereof, a lever having a bolt passing loosely therethrough adjacent one end and screwed into said boss, a lateral pivot bolt carried by the inner end of the lever and parallel with the rst mentioned bolt, and a roller carried by said bolt and having a rolling contact with a plate carried by the door frame- CARL HOFFMAN. 

